


Any Other Way

by dear_reader



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Homophobia, M/M, Marauders' Era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-19
Updated: 2018-07-19
Packaged: 2019-06-13 05:20:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15357144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dear_reader/pseuds/dear_reader
Summary: Sirius is bored and makes Remus go with him to prank the Slytherins. What he discovers, however, will change his life..





	Any Other Way

**Author's Note:**

> Hullo reader. This is my second HP fic, and of course it's about the Marauders again, because I can't get enough. Enjoy, or don't, it's up to you..

“Want to see what kind of trouble we can get into?”

Remus sighed and closed the front of his book, holding his thumb amongst the pages so as not to lose his place.

“Oh god, we’re going to die, aren’t we?”

Sirius gaped in mock shock and threw himself down onto Remus’ bed.

“It’s a Tuesday! I know how to restrain myself.”

“You absolutely do not.”

Remus closed the book fully this time and placed it back on his bedside table. Sirius turned over onto his back, staring up into the tawny-haired boy’s face.

“Moony, you wound me.”

Remus laughed and pushed Sirius’ shoulder gently so he slowly fell off the side of the bed.

“Right! Come on, we are going to go and cause some mischief.”

“Where are the others? Why can’t you take them to get into trouble?”

Sirius made his way round to the end of Moony’s bed and leant against the pole.

“James is off trying to woo Evans, remember? And Peter has detention with Slughorn.”

Remus rolled his eyes and got up from where he was sat, following Sirius as he turned to make his way out of their dorms.

“So, I was thinking we could hex some Slytherins on the way back from the Great Hall and…”

Perfect. Remus was in for one long evening.

 

*******

 

“…and I have no idea why she got her knickers in such a twist, and I got detention Friday night.”

“Well, you did tell her she was getting a little ‘catty’. I’m not surprised she gave you detention.”

Sirius shrugged and had the decency to look maybe a little apologetic.

“Oh come off it, Minnie knows I was only joking.”

Remus just laughed in response, soon distracted by a group of Slytherins brushing past them. 

Remus couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he knew they were talking about him. This had happened before.

He closed in on himself and kept his eyes turned to the floor. He’d heard people around the corridors, making fun of him and talking about him, but he hadn’t told the others, and he didn’t want them to catch on.

Unfortunately, Sirius did seem to have caught on to Remus’ sudden change in demeanour and the taunts from the Slytherins.

“Oi! Watch your bloody mouths or you’ll be sorry you ever opened them.” Sirius growled.

“Sirius, please, just leave it.”

Remus made to move away from the crowd but ended up with Sirius in front of him.

“Awh isn’t that sweet! Got your cute little boyfriend to stand up for you? You’re disgusting, Lupin.”

The Slytherins all heckled and laughed as Sirius looked even closer to fighting them.

“So what if I was his boyfriend? Got a problem with that, do you?”

One particular Slytherin squared up to him before responding.

“Yeah, I do. Take your disgusting thoughts and piss off, we don’t want your kind near us.”

And with that, the Slytherins were gone, and so was Remus. Sirius looked around but couldn’t see him anywhere. How long had that been happening? How dare they speak to Remus like that. He didn’t even know..didn’t want to hope that Remus was like him.

Sirius had had a crush on Moony since their second year. The tall, gorgeous boy had caught his eye straight away and it wasn’t until Sirius had accepted himself, that he even entertained the idea of his feelings for Remus. He was fairly certain that James knew of Sirius’ undying love for Moony, but apart from that he thought he’d kept it to himself quite well, afraid that Remus wouldn’t return his feelings. And all this time, Sirius couldn’t see that Moony was dealing with the same things he had years previously. Remus was all alone and thought that he was a monster, and Sirius had been here this whole time, wishing he could show Moony that he meant the world to him.

“Shit!”

Sirius had to find the other boy.

 

******

 

Having searched the Gryffindor common room and the dorms, Remus was nowhere to be found.

Sirius was almost ready to just stay still, and wait until Remus came back to try and talk to him. But then he remembered, whenever Moony was upset or feeling down because of the full, he would always go to the Astronomy Tower, as a way to try and face the moon.

He must be there, thought Sirius.

As he made his way up the tower, he heard the faint sounds of rushed breathing and what sounded like…crying?

And his heart broke.

To think that Moony was up here, alone, crying to himself made Sirius feel empty inside. His chest felt as though someone had thrown a bludger to it. 

He quietly made his way up the last of the steps and came face to face with the broken boy.

“Oh Remus…”

At the sound of his voice, Remus’ head whipped up and he pulled his sleeve further over his hand, wiping at his red, swollen eyes.

“Go away, Sirius. Please.”

Remus’ voice hitched on the last word and he curled into himself more, facing out against the night.

“Moony, please, you have to listen to me. You are not disgusting. I can’t bare the thought of you sitting there and hating yourself.”

“Well I do, so don’t bother.”

The whole while Sirius approached the other boy, tears were silently flowing down his cheeks.

“Please, Moony, don’t cry.”

There was a silence between them now. Sirius approached cautiously as he did not want to scare Remus off. He knew what this was like. And he hadn’t told anyone…but now he needed to.

Slowly, he sat down next to Remus, with just enough of a gap to allow the other boy space.

“Well, if you think you’re disgusting, then that must mean you think I am too. Right pair we are.”

Remus sniffed and then stopped, slightly turning his eyes up to the raven-haired boy.

“What - I don’t…”

Sirius smirked softly.

“The Slytherins were right about one thing though.”

“What?”

“I would make a cute boyfriend.”

At that, Remus laughed slightly. Although it was wet, and still full of sadness.

“I still don’t understand.”

“Always were a bit slow on the uptake, weren’t you Moony?”

Silence.

“Remus J Lupin, you have been my best friend for 5 years and I can say with absolute certainty that I have been in love with you for three of those magnificent years.”

“You mean-“ 

Sirius rolled his eyes and tucked his hair behind his eyes.

“Yes, Moony. I mean that I am as gay as the day is long, perhaps even longer. And I know how you feel. I know that you feel like you’re worthless, and that you’re disgusting, and that you’re some kind of monster. I know, because three years ago I felt the exact same. And people said the same about me, whispering about me in the corridors. And I felt like dying. They were some of the darkest days for me at Hogwarts. But you know what? I tried my hardest to block out the voices and the negativity, and just be who I wanted to be. And I’m so thankful. Because it lead me to you. Well, I just mean that -“

“I love you too.”

Sirius stopped dead in his tracks. 

“You do?”

“Yes, Padfoot. I have loved you every day for the last five years, but I was afraid. Afraid that you didn’t feel the same, afraid that there was something wrong me.”

Remus looked down, but Sirius intercepted and lifted his chin, moving closer to him.

“There is nothing wrong with you, Moons. I promise.”

Remus smiled softly.

“How did you do it? How did you ignore all of the glares and whispered voices?”

Sirius sighed.

“I won’t pretend it wasn’t hard. But I told myself that in the end it’d be worth it. And I’d take a stab in the dark and say it was.”

At that Remus nudged his shoulder and rolled his eyes.

“It was.”

Sirius blinked slowly up at Remus and moved in towards him, his lips dancing over the others. 

And just like that, the two boys were sharing their first kiss. It was slow and unpractised and nervous, but it was perfect. 

Remus was the first to pull away, blushing.

“I never thought you’d feel the same way.”

Sirius laughed.

“I could say the same about you.”

Slowly, Remus took hold of his hand and laced their fingers together, nervously smiling up at the other boy.

“Sirius..I’m scared.”

“It’s okay, Moony, I’ll be here, every step of the way. If you’ll have me.”

Remus kissed him softly before pulling back.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”


End file.
